After more than four hours of talks, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, took part in a joint press conference in St. Petersburg, Russia on Thursday.
Speaking at the joint press conference, Emmanuel Macron said: “I am perfectly aware of Russia's irreplaceable role in solving international problems, including in the Middle East".
He went on to underlined that France is an independent country and that dialogue with Russia is a “manifestation of this independent position.”
Concerning the Iran nuclear deal, which the US decided to leave despite EU's resolve to stick with the agreement , Macron and Putin reiterated that it should remain in effect. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran was complying with all its provisions.
Speaking at the joint press conference, President Vladimir Putin said: "Where is the basis for leaving the deal? Consequences would be lamentable."
President Putin told reporters he was skeptical about adding any elements to the already negotiated deal, the JCPOA, but Emmanuel Macron proposed “amending” the deal, to address other issues not covered by the agreement.
The French president also stated that French companies will keep doing business in Iran despite the threat of US sanctions.
Macron also touched upon the issue of cybersecurity, saying that he agreed with Putin to create a new mechanism to help the two countries tackle issues in this sphere. The Russian president said nations that don’t like being the targets of cyberwarfare, have the incentive to work on "common rules of cyberspace", the same way rules for nuclear weapons were negotiated.
The Russian and French presidents also discussed the situation in Syria in detail. Putin and Macron also agreed on a joint investigation into the alleged cases of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Western powers accused Damascus in April of using chemical weapons in eastern Ghouta. Without waiting for an investigation by the OPCW experts, and without UN authorization, United States , Britain and France then launched airstrikes against Syria. Much of the international community, including Syria, Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia and China , strongly condemned the airstrikes, describing the attack as criminal and illegal.
